Qabbani Criticizes Film Mocking Islam, Calls on Muslims and Christians to Condemn it

Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani urged on Thursday the Lebanese people to unite in denouncing the film mocking Islam, calling on Christians and Muslims across the world to reject attempts to create incitement among them.

“If they succeed in their attempts we will only sow useless bloody conflicts,” Qabbani said in a statement.

He called on the Lebanese to demand authorities to take all the necessary diplomatic action in the name of Muslims and Christians against the U.S. that is the incubator for the production of this movie.

The low-budget movie, "Innocence of Muslims" in which actors have strong American accents, portrays Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent.

It pokes fun at the Prophet Mohammed and touches on themes of pedophilia and homosexuality, while showing him sleeping with women, talking about killing children and referring to a donkey as "the first Muslim animal."

“The U.S. is the strongest nation in the world and is trying to control it, it should be aware of the repercussions of such a film,” Qabbani noted.

He called on the U.S. to assume its responsibilities and hold those who are behind it accountable to ensure that such offenses will not happen again.

Mystery has deepened over the film, with conflicting accounts from backers and promoters but no one owning up to having actually directed it.

U.S. media initially cited someone claiming to be an American-Israeli calling himself Sam Bacile as saying he made the film on a $5 million budget with the help of 100 Jews, but no record of such a person has been found.

“This kind of offense terminates the human freedom of belief under the guise of counterfeit legislation and laws,” he added.

Qabbani stated that Lebanon, “the message”, should remain a “model of coexistence between all religions.”

I strongly comdemn this film but this does not justify the barbaric actions by those radicals.

Mr Mufti, with all due respect, the US did not make this film. This film was produced by one IDIOT who was excersizing his freedom of speech and we all should be able to seperate facts from emotions.

I call on all religious leaders to comdemn this film and also to comdemn the attacks on US embassies and the killing of diplomats who just recently helped the Lybian people to get rid of their dictator and usher in their freedom.

I disagree. The US is free but not when it comes to topics related to the middle east. That is why only one view is shown in the US media and why professors, journalists and others who dont hold that view are turned in to targets. If a muslim had made such a movie about jews and judaism, then he would be in jail and all of the US media would have condemned it and celeberties would line up to condemn it etc. Even in the 2008 election, the main weapon used against obama was to accuse yim of beeing a muslim as if its a bad thing. Imagine the reaction if mccain had been accused of beeing jewish in a negative way.

Freedom of speech is not absolute. In the law, speech can be regulated if it poses a clear and present danger to the health and welfare of the people. Whoever produced and distributed "Innocence of Moslems" did so with the premeditated intent to cause the reaction that the movie has caused. It lit a fuse and intended to light a fuse.
As Christians, we have had to endure "art" such as "Piss Christ" and movies such as "The DiVinci Code" both denegrating of Our Lord Jesus Christ. But for Christians, it is not new to suffer persecution. Jesus told us it would happen and the Church has been persecuted from the start. It makes us stronger. Moslems have a different faith heritage and respond differently to affronts.
But the insult to faith is the same and is equally to be condemned. Innocence of Moslems is the worst case of this I have ever seen.

One of the female actors , that acted in this filth was duped, they told it was an Arabian dessert movie about a man named George and that they changed a lot of parts of the movies, and she is upset that she wasn't told the truth,

When freedom of speech or whatever freedom one may be blessed to have, crosses the boundaries like what this imbecile Sam Bacile was allowed to do, then the law must intervene. This prick was the same AH that burnt the Qur'an and now this tasteless movie. If anything, the Feds should arrest his ass and put him in jail for the deaths of all these Americans abroad. His stupidity and actions were the direct result for the loss of lives and should be locked up for second degree manslaughter. Meanwhile Islamic nations should not revert to barbaric methods of retaliations either. I don't think God nor Mohammad would commend such acts at all!

wrong! you don't arrest a man who made a film expressing his POV, that's his right even though the film is a piece of trash.
you send a battalion of troops to arrest aggressively all the hundreds who have violated the law and killed people in the name of their beloved religion, these people would find any excuse to harm others who don't follow their ways, today its a snuff film tomorrow its something else, i suggest we stop blaming the film itself but rather the core of the problem, which is the obvious one.

Where were Qabani when Iran made the movie about Jesus which contest the dogma of Christianity and makes the Christian religion false? Why didn't he condemn that when the movie was about to be shown on Al Manar TV. Enough of hypocracy and shame on all the religious people. Religion is being used falsely and not for its intended purposes.

I agree that everyone should condemn this movie, however, this doesn't justify the barbaric acts accross the middle east at US embassy's and missions.
In addition, I think had the Mufti condemned the reaction as well, I would have had a little respect for what he is saying.

The problem with these mobs - especially the religiously fuelled ones like what is happening now is that they are sanctioned by their local preachers. There should be a higher authority like the vatican for christians - which makes decisions and these decisions are accepted and enforced by the local preachers.

You cant put all the blame on the mobs - who are filled with hate when they attend their mosque and have the preacher rant and rave about the latest affront from the US or whereever.

Education should start with the preachers - they are the ones who should be sending out a message of tolerance and moderation, and their followers will follow their example!

I agreed with you until you claimed islamic tolerance is non-existent. I know muslim women who had stones thrown at them when walking in christian areas, just bcuz they were wearing hijab, yt i dont claim christian tolerance is non existent. The fact that churches were built under islamic rule is proof enough that islamic tolerence is existent and the norm. Those who killed a nun sinned according to Islam. Millions of muslims walk by churches every day in peace yet those dont count to you, only the few rotten apples do. Rotten apples that christians themselves have. Your secterian mindset is really depressing.

Seems Muslim attackers are always referred to as "radicals".
first, anyone whom resorts to violence and killing people when they get offended, need to be exterminated. They have no place in todays civilized nations.
Secondly, its been proven time and again through scholars and various "in context" interpretations that Islam is a militant religion. There has been no reformation period like all other religions, and claims itself to be its own authority. It calls for "putting under the foot of Islam all infidels"......infidels defined as anyone that refuses to convert. So a "peaceful" muslim, is one whom does not follow the koran to the letter. In reality, we are to trust our family, our Children, our neighborhoods to a group of people whom make thier own personal decision regarding tennants of thier faith ? Muslims must deal with this issue themselves if they have any real intension of fitting in with the 21st century and civilized nations.